Lobster abstract

A product of fish meat paste simulating the meat of the lobster
containing a heat-coagulated mixture of one part by weight of fish
meat paste and 0.2 to 2 parts by weight of mannan gel modified by
freezing. The fish meat paste is made of "surimi" and
at least one additive selected from salt, seasoning agents, starch
and texturing agents. The modified mannan gel is in the form of
flakes less than 3 mm thick to impart to the coagulated mixture
a texture which gives a particular oral sensation as if real lobster
meat were being eaten.

Lobster claims

What we claim is:

1. A process for preparing an edible product simulating the meat
of lobster by:

(a) preparing a fish meat paste by mixing "surimi" with
at least one additive selected from salt, seasoning agents, starch
and texturing agents;

(b) preparing flakes of modified mannan gel by preparing a water
solution of mannan, the amount of mannan being 0.5% to 20%, transforming
said solution into gel form, modifying said gel form by freezing
said gel form, making flakes from the frozen modified gel, said
flakes being less than 3 mm in thickness and rinsing said flakes
with water in order to defrost said flakes;

(c) intimately mixing one (1) part by weight of said fish meat
paste with 0.2 to 2 parts by weight of said flakes of modified mannan
gel; and thereafter

(d) coagulating the mixture of said fish meat paste and said flakes
by applying heat thereto.

2. The process of claim 1 further including the step of shaping
said mixture into pieces of predetermined shape and size before
said coagulating step.

3. The process of claim 2 further including the step of coloring
the surface of said pieces.

4. The process of claim 1 further including the step of shaping
said coagulating mass into pieces of predetermined shape and size.

5. The process of claim 4 further including the step of coloring
the surface of said pieces.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said water solution of mannan
further includes starch.

7. The process of claim 4 wherein the flakes of modified mannan
gel are prepared by:

preparing a water solution of mannan, the amount of mannan being
0.5% to 20%;

pouring said solution onto a plate to form thereon a thin layer
of mannan gel;

applying a low-temperature gas to the surface of said layer for
2 to 5 minutes for preliminarily freezing the surface portion of
said layer;

placing said layer in a freezer for 30 minutes to 12 hours to freeze
the mannan component of said layer;

cutting said frozen layer into flakes 1.5 cm to 3 cm wide, 2 cm
to 5 cm long and 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm thick; and

rinsing said flakes with water in order to defrost said flakes.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the mannan component of said
layer is modified by freezing at a temperature from about -20.degree.
C. to -30.degree. C. for 30 minutes to 12 hours.

9. The product of the process of claim 7.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein said gel form is modified by
freezing at a temperature from about -20.degree. C. to -30.degree.
C. for 3 to 16 hours.

11. The product of the process of claim 1.

Lobster description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a product of fish meat paste simulating
the meat of macrura in both taste and texture. More particularly,
this invention relates to a product of fish meat paste which give
a particular oral sensation or resistance to mastication as if the
meat of relatively large-sized species of macrura such as lobsters
and spring lobsters were eaten.

Many people like the meat of macrura since it contains little fat
and has not only a light flavor but also a superior texture which
gives a particular oral sensation or a kind of crispness combined
with elasticity when the meat is bitten. In recent years, however,
the supply cannot meet the demand, and lobsters have become a rather
expensive seafood.

In the fish meat paste product industry various attempts have been
made to develop substitutes for the meat of natural macrura. The
known substitues, however, comprise nothing more than fish meat
paste mixed with the meat of natural macrura or seasoned with an
essence extracted from natural macrura so that they have merely
a taste of flavor similar to that of natural macrura meat and cannot
satisfy the consumers with respect to the oral sensation experienced
upon eating them.

U.S. Pat. No. 4362752 discloses a product of simulated shrimp
meat which not only has a taste and flavor similar to that of real
shrimp meat but also a particular oral sensation or a kind of crispness
combined with elasticity as to satisfy consumers. However, the patent
is directed to a product of fish meat paste simulating chiefly small-sized
shrimp.

In the field of marine product industry studies and experiments
are believed to be being conducted, but to the best knowledge of
the present inventors, except the above-mentioned patent there have
been no technical reports or literature on the method of giving
to the product of fish meat paste not only taste and flavor similar
to those of actual lobster meat but also the particular oral sensation
experienced upon eating natural lobster meat.

The reason why there have been very few proposals to meet the demand
for products of fish meat paste having taste and texture similar
to those of real lobster meat is believed to be because lobster
meat comprises a plurality of muscle fibers closely intertwined
so that it is extremely difficult to make such closely intertwined
muscle fibers from any other food material than actual lobster meat.

As a result of various studies and experiments conducted since
the accomplishment of the invention desclosed in the above-mentioned
U.S. patent, the present inventors have found out that by freezing
mannan gel to denature or modify the saccharide and adding the denatured
or modified mannan gel to fish meat paste in a predetermined ratio,
mixing the gel and paste and coagulating the mixture by heating,
it is possible to obtain a product of fish meat paste approximating
lobster meat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The product of fish meat paste prepared in accordance with the
invention comprises a coagulated mass of fish meat paste prepared
by mixing (a) 1 (one) part by weight of fish meat paste prepared
by mixing fish meat "surimi" with one or more of salt
and other seasonings, starch and a texturing agent, and (b) 0.2
to 2 parts by weight of flakes of mannan gel denatured or modified
by freezing, the flakes having thickness of less than 3 mm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the specification and claims, the terms "denatured"
or "modified" and "denaturation" or "modification"
mean that the mannan gel, once frozen and defrosted, has become
less hydrophilic.

The "surimi", a Japanese word, means the fish meat paste
which is obtained in the following manner: The guts are removed
from a fish, which is then crushed or squeezed so that somewhat
mashed flesh or meat is separated from the skin, head, bones, and
other components of the fish. The separated mass of meat is then
rinsed in water so that water-soluble proteins are removed from
the meat. The fish meat thus obtained is "surimi".

In accordance with the invention the modified mannan gel is made
in the following manner: Powder of water-soluble mannan such as
galactomannan is dissolved in water at about 40.degree. C. The amount
of the mannan powder to be added is 0.5% to 20% of water. If the
amount is less than 0.5%, the frozen gel releases too much water
when it is defrosted, so that the yield decreases as compared with
the amount of material that has been treated. On the contrary, if
the amount of mannan powder in the water solution exceeds 20%, the
viscosity of the solution becomes too high to enable effective kneading
of the materials, with resulting lowering of the productivity. The
mannan content of 2.5% to 12% is suitable and therefore is preferred.

A suitable amount of starch may be added to the water solution
of mannan. The amount of starch to be added is 50% to 250% of the
weight of mannan.

The addition of starch is advantageous and economical in that it
helps not only improve the ability of the mannan gel to retain water-soluble
seasonings such as monosodium glutamate or extracted seasonings
but also properly control releasing of water from the gel thereby
to increase the yield.

With too much starch added, however, the modified mannan gel will
not have a proper strength so that the final product may not have
a texture to give a particular oral sensation similar to that of
natural lobster, and sometimes even the taste of the product will
be seriously impaired.

To cause the water solution of mannan to gel, a water suspension
or solution of calcium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, or any other
suitable compound is added as a gelation accelerator to the water
solution of mannan, which is stirred well and then held stationary
for gelation. When calcium hydroxide is used, for example, a water
solution of mannan is prepared, to which a water solution of calcium
hydroxide is added, and by adjusting the pH of the mixture to about
10.5 it is possible to produce mannan gel with the highest efficiency.

The mannan gel obtained in the above manner is then frozen for
denaturation or modification. If the gel is shaped by cutting into
a plate-like mass having a thickness of 1.5 cm to 3 cm, it is possible
to shorten the time required for modification by freezing.

For freezing the mannan gel may be cut and shaped into a plate-like
mass having a thickness of 1.5 cm to 3 cm. Alternatively, the above-mentioned
solution of mannan may be put into a shallow cylindrical mold or
applied onto a metal plate for gelation.

The above plate-like mass of mannan gel is placed in a freezer
and kept therein at -20.degree. C. to -30.degree. C. for about 3
to 16 hours, whereupon the gel is frozen and modified. Alternatively,
the plate-like mass shaped by cutting, or the gel in the mold or
on the plate may be passed through a tunnel, in which liquid nitrogen
is sprayed onto the gel for 2 to 5 minutes so as to rapidly freeze
the surface of the gel. After the preliminary freezing the gel is
put in a freezer and kept at -20.degree. C. to -30.degree. C. for
30 minutes to 12 hours, whereupon the mannan gel becomes frozen
and modified.

The frozen gel obtained in the above manner is then formed into
a film or tape having a width of 1.5 cm to 3 cm and a thickness
of less than 3 mm, preferably, 0.5 mm to 3 mm.

The method of applying the water solution of mannan onto a metal
plate for gelation and subsequent freezing of the applied layer
of the solution is advantageous in that the frozen gel obtained
has a thickness suitable for a film or tape of mannan gel.

The disk-like mass of mannan gel obtained by using the above-mentioned
circular mold has the advantage that a film or tape of mannan gel
can be continuously cut from the mannan disk by applying a cutting
blade to the periphery of the mannan disk and gradually moving the
blade toward the center thereof as the circular mold is rotated
about its axis.

To obtain a product simulating lobster meat, the tape of modified
mannan gel which is 1 mm to 3 mm thick and 1.5 cm to 3 cm wide is
cut into flakes of 2 cm to 5 cm in length.

To obtain a product simulating the meat of spring lobsters which
is a little softer or has a little smaller resistance to mastication,
the flakes of modified mannan gel preferably have a thickness on
the order of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

The flakes of frozen mannan gel are placed in a stream of water
to defrost them and at the same time cause the gelation accelerator
remaining therein to be eluted therefrom thereby to remove the smell
of calcium, and then put into a centrifuge for dehydration.

Each of the flakes of modified mannan gel processed in the above-mentioned
manner comprises a flexible translucent white piece having filmy
portions intertwined with reticulate portions.

As a production test 1 kg of water solution containing 3% of mannan
was processed in the above-mentioned manner, and flakes of modified
mannan gel weighing 200 g after dehydration were obtained.

Three lots of 1 kg of water solution containing 3% of mannan and
3%, 5% and 7% of corn starch, respectively, were treated in the
above-mentioned manner to obtain 420 g, 560 g, and 700 g of flakes
of modified mannan gel, respectively. These products are slightly
different from each other in flexibility and resistance to mastication
depending upon the amount of starch added.

To obtain fish meat paste, any known method of producing "kamaboko"
may be employed. The "kamaboko" is a traditional Japanese
food which is a kind of molded fish meat paste. For example, 1 kg
of "surimi" of high-grade fish meat is mixed with 0.3
kg of ice water and 25 g of common salt. The mixture is well kneaded
while adding 10 g of a seasoning, 60 g of starch and 1 (one) g of
a texturing agent to obtain a mass of fish meat paste. In order
to regulAte the flexibility of the final product, the kind of fish
from which "surimi" is obtained and/or the amount of "surimi"
may be changed. On the other hand, to adjust the jelly strength
of the mannan gel any method known in the art such as changing the
amount of starch to be added may be employed.

The mixing ratio of the fish meat paste and the flakes of modified
mannan gel is a critical factor for determining the oral sensation
which the final product will give, that is, the oral sensation similar
to that experienced when real lobster meat is eaten.

The mixing ratio is 1 (one) part by weight of the fish meat paste
and 0.3 to 2 parts by weight of the flakes of modified mannan gel.
The materials are mixed and kneaded sufficiently so that the paste
enters the reticulate structure of the mannan gel. If the flakes
of modified mannan gel are added in an amount less than 0.3 part
by weight, the final product is not satisfactory although it may
partially have a texture similar to that of real lobster meat. On
the contrary, if the amount of the flakes added exceeds 2 parts
by weight, the flakes are bound so loosely in the final product
that when eaten they are easily separated in the mouth and cannot
give an oral sensation similar to that experienced when real lobster
meat is eaten.

The kneaded mixture of the fish meat paste and the flakes of modified
mannan gel is then heated to obtain a final product. The heating
may be conducted at a temperature required for thermal denaturation
of the proteins of the fish meat and gelatinization of the starch.
A shaped mass of the kneaded material having a thickness of about
3 cm may be steamed at 80.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. for 25 minutes
to 45 minutes. The final product obtained in the above-mentioned
manner comprises an integral mass of fish meat paste and thin flakes
of modified mannan gel irregularly lying in many layers intermingled
with the paste, so that the product has a texture as if there were
two different kinds of muscular tissues having different degrees
of resistance to mastication, and the texture gives an oral sensation
similar to that experienced when real lobster meat is eaten .

The invention will be described further by way of the following
examples.

EXAMPLE 1

30 g of mannan powder is put into 970 g of hot water at 40.degree.
C. and stirred for two hours, after which the mixture is held stationary
for 16 hours to obtain a viscous water solution of mannan. 5 g of
calcium hydroxide is dissolved in 50 ml of water, and the solution
is added to the water solution of mannan. The mixture is stirred
sufficiently and then put in a container of a conventional ice cutting
machine, and the container is placed in a freezer and kept at -20.degree.
C. for 16 hours so as to freeze and modify the mannan component
of the mixture.

The frozen mass of modified mannan gel is then taken out of the
container and sliced by the ice cutting machine into flakes 2 cm
to 3 cm wide and 1 mm to 2 mm thick. The flakes are then put in
a stream of water so that they are defrosted and at the same time
the excess calcium is eluted from the flakes. The flakes are then
put in a centrifuge for dehydration. The yield is 200 g of flakes
of modified mannan gel.

The flakes thus obtained are divided into four equal parts each
weighing 50 g, to which 25 g, 50 g, 75 g and 100 g of the above-mentioned
fish meat paste are added. After full kneading, each mixture is
put in a plastic container to a thickness of 2 cm and steamed at
90.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. for 30 minutes to obtain a product
of fish meat paste resembling real lobster meat.

EXAMPLE 2

50 g of mannan powder is put in 950 g of hot water and processed
in the same manner as in EXAMPLE 1 so that a water solution containing
5% of mannan is obtained. Four samples each weighing 200 g are taken
from the solution, and 6 g, 10 g, 14 g and 20 g of corn starch are
added to the four samples, respectively. The samples are treated
in substantially the same manner as in EXAMPLE 1 to obtain flakes
of modified mannan gel, which look like lobster meat although they
are a little less transparent than the flakes obtained in EXAMPLE
1.

50 g of the flakes obtained in the above-mentioned manner is added
to 100 g, 95 g, 50 g and 25 g of fish meat paste, respectively.
After kneading, each lot is put in a plastic container and steamed
at 90.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. for 40 minutes to obtain a product
resembling lobster meat.

Sensory tests have been conducted on the products obtained in EXAMPLES
1 and 2. The results of the tests indicate that the product containing
25 g of the fish meat paste has a texture very similar to that of
spiny lobster meat and the product containing 75 g of the fish meat
paste has a texture very similar to that of lobster meat.

With several persons who like lobster meat as panelists, further
sensory tests have been conducted on the above-mentioned products
containing 25 g and 75 g of the fish meat paste in comparison with
natural lobster meat. It has been found out that the products of
the invention and cooked natural lobster meat are so similar in
taste and texture that when eaten on different days the products
of the invention can hardly be distinguished from natural lobster
meat.